Jan. 11—Marking another step toward revitalizing the Fremont Hospital site in Yuba City, the Sutter County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a letter of support from Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health on Tuesday as part of a grant application to propel Project Hope, a proposed behavioral health medical campus utilizing the former hospital location.

The Behavioral Health Crisis Infrastructure Program, payable by the Department of Health Care Services, could earn Adventist Health/Rideout Hospital up to $23 million for the project, should the grant application be accepted.

If the hospital does obtain funding, it will be able to better meet the needs of expanded Medi-Cal Health services through Project Hope.

"This is a true partnership within our community. ... This is a real game changer to provide opportunities for health care that people have dreamt of for many years," District 4 Supervisor Karm Bains said.

Between 12-15 million Californians receive health insurance through Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program which provides health services to children and adults with limited income. Approximately 46,000 Sutter County residents are Medi-Cal recipients, Health and Human Services Director Sarah Eberhardt-Rios said.

For those experiencing behavioral or mental health complications, Medi-Cal covers mild to moderate health care options. For Medi-Cal enrollees that have severe and or chronic behavioral health needs requiring more intensive services, Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health provides coverage for specialty mental health services, Eberhardt-Rios said.

The Department of Health Care Services is working to transform Medi-Cal to expand its services and make existing services more effective. A total of 14 new services will be added to address service needs such as housing, assisted living transitions, meal plans and home care.

To establish these new services, the Department of Health Care Services is providing several grant opportunities to Medi-Cal contracted health care providers for infrastructure and capacity building needs. Through Project Hope, these services could help address the growing need for mental health and behavioral services within the Yuba-Sutter area, Adventist Health System Well-Being Director Ashten Phillips said.

Adventist Health/Rideout is proposing the former Fremont Hospital as the location for a behavioral health facility that will provide a campus-style suite of medical services to Yuba-Sutter's vulnerable populations with complex health and social needs, Phillips said.

"That includes seniors, that includes individuals with disabilities and it also includes those who are experiencing homelessness. These services really set out to increase the overall quality of life and well-being for those in our Sutter-Yuba region," she said.

Reintegrating Fremont Hospital would also provide more support to Adventist Health and acute care facilities by providing more access to health care options.

"We had 50 people in the hospital today with stays of over 15 days. If you have been to our emergency department and had to wait, that's why. If we move the service over, we're going to create all kinds of capacity at the hospital," Adventist Health/Rideout CEO Chris Champlin said.

According to a county staff report, Project Hope will require significant funding to renovate the site and integrate these services. Adventist Health/Rideout has already submitted applications for funds from various organizations, and has requested Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health's support in acquiring grants from the Department of Health Care Service.

The department is providing health care infrastructure grants and managed care incentive payments to organizations providing community support and enhanced care management services, Eberhardt-Rios said.

"The start-up funding is especially important for rural communities like ours that didn't participate in the Whole Person Care Pilots, which allowed counties to get and draw down health care infrastructure fundings. Neither Yuba nor Sutter counties participated in those health care infrastructure investment programs," Eberhardt-Rios said.

The Behavioral Health Crisis Infrastructure Program, payable by the department, could provide up to $23 million for Project Hope. In order to complete the application, Adventist Health/Rideout must include a letter of support from Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health's Mental Health Plan Director.

If awarded, the grant requires that Fremont Hospital be used for Medi-Cal services for 30 years. It also requires that construction start within six months of receiving the grant funds, which must be fully expended by 2027.

Levee gate to restrict vehicle access

Due to damage caused by vehicular access along the Feather River Levee on Paseo Avenue in Live Oak, the Sutter County Board of Supervisors approved the installation of a gate along the east side of the canal to restrict vehicle use.

A gate restricting vehicle access was requested by Paseo Avenue residents and Levee District 9 after witnessing damage caused by motorists driving directly onto the levee. Pedestrian access on the levee and Feather River is still allowed, and the gate will facilitate recreational activities such as walking or biking, Director of Development Services Neal Hay said.

A gravel parking lot spacing up to four vehicles will also be installed near the gate.

"It's important to note that we're not restricting access, just access by vehicles. It's a very short walk, and this has become quite a nuisance to (Sutter Extension Water District) and the levee districts," District 2 Supervisor Dan Flores said.

Andrew Stresser, a representative of Levee District 1 and 9, said that there has been a "steady increase" in vehicles accessing the levee by driving up its sides or around established gates. California Vehicle Code also prohibits driving on levee roadways without authorization.

Stresser said that Sutter County has a similar ordinance, resulting in $100, $200 and $1,000 fines plus six months in jail for every violation per year. In order to ensure public safety and flood protection, Stresser believes that a gate is necessary to maintain the levee and monitor proper vehicle access.

"Unfortunately, individuals don't get cited as much as we'd like," he said. "The district is responsible for adequately maintaining the integrity of the levee for flood protection in perpetuity. Forever. As long as we have flooding in this vicinity, we'll have to maintain those levees to ensure public safety."

Some members of the public urged the board to deny the gate, remarking that the levee on Paseo Avenue is their closest access point to the Feather River.

"The people of this state have a right to be on that river and the banks of that river for recreation. Allowing people to cross the levee and use the ramps in the roads designed for it is the cost of doing business when you decide to build a levee blocking access to the river," a member of the public said.

Al Kannely, a resident of Paseo Avenue, supported the gate's installation after witnessing trash left along the river bottoms and motorists getting stuck while driving directly over the sides of the levee.

"They were damaging the levee. I'm not questioning the public's right to use the river nor the public's right to use the levee. I support both of those things. If you want to walk your dog or ride your bike up there, I'm all for that. The river is great to use, but the trouble I have is public access through my property," Kannely said.

Because of the levee's narrow roadway, Kannely said that motorists have frequently driven onto his property to turn around. Trash and noise disturbances are also frequent as visitors increase during the summer, he said.

"It's private property. If the county or the state wants to come in and make it a park, that's their choice, but until then, I'm paying taxes on it. I have the right to exclusively use it," Kannely said. "I was hoping that with this gate, we could still allow people public access to the levee, but they won't be crossing private property to the river with their vehicle."

Installing a gate will have no impact on the general fund. County officials said that the cost to purchase and install a gate will be no more than $15,000.

Other vehicle access points to the river include the Live Oak recreational park boat launch on Pennington Road, less than 4 miles away from Paseo Avenue. The Yuba City Boat Launch on Second Street also provides nearby river access, Stresser said.

Oswald Road traffic signal approved

In response to resident complaints regarding truck traffic near Oswald Road in Yuba City as well as an increase in accidents involving heavy-duty trucks, multiple development projects have been discussed to improve traffic control at the intersection of State Route 99 and Oswald Road.

To move forward with safety developments along the intersection, the Sutter County Board of Supervisors authorized the signature of the Oswald Road Intersection Improvements Project report and environmental analysis. By authorizing its approval, the project will be positioned for funding authorization at the California Transportation Committee meeting in March 2023.

Based on a Selective Collision Rate Calculation conducted by the Caltrans District 3 Office of

Traffic Safety, a total of 37 collisions were reported within this intersection from Jan. 1, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2017. Of the 37 reported collisions, one resulted in a fatality and 18 resulted in

injuries with a total of 33 people injured. Implementing intersection control will reduce the potential for turning movement collisions, especially those involving large trucks.

The Oswald Road project will convert the existing intersection to a signalized intersection with new right and left turn lanes with space for deceleration and bicycle and pedestrian facilities, officials said.

"The intersection improvements that are the preferred alternative are the signalization of the intersection," Senior Civil Engineer David Tomm said.

A traffic light as well as replacement concrete will be constructed within the intersection, Tomm said. Alternative roadway improvements such as a roundabout have been pitched to the public, but a traffic signal has been identified as the preferred implementation by residents, officials said.

The estimated construction cost of the traffic signal is $9,100,000 with the Caltrans share being $7,600,000 and the county contributing $1.5 million, officials said. Estimated total cost for the design and construction of the intersection improvements is approximately $2.7 million.

According to a project memorandum, construction is expected to begin in 2025 and last for around seven months.

County ratifies local emergency

During Tuesday's meeting, the Sutter County Board of Supervisors ratified a proclamation to declare a countywide local emergency in response to roadway flooding and power outages as a result of the recent storm systems.

After assessing the need for safety resources and the potential evacuations of residents adjacent to the rivers, Sutter County Administrator and Director of Emergency Services Steve Smith announced the proclamation on Jan. 6.

In the days following Smith's proclamation, residents of the commercial trailer park Lovey's Landing were placed under mandatory evacuation as the Sacramento River was expected to rise above its 65-foot elevation near Colusa Bridge by Monday morning, the Appeal previously reported. Around 19 roads, including some within the Sutter Bypass, were also closed due to flooding

A declaration of local emergency must be ratified by the board within one week in order to access state and federal resources. The initial declaration did not require or request state and federal assistance to manage emergency response. However, according to county officials, the severity of the storms has the potential to overwhelm local resources, which may require state and federal resources.

County officials also requested a $100,000 budget amendment to provide emergency supplies and assistance to those displaced by evacuations. These funds will be procured from the county's General Fund Appropriation for Contingencies. Sutter County will seek reimbursement through all available resources to support any claimable storm-related costs, a county staff report said.